I cannot say this is the album of the decade, but it is a damn fine comeback, which most bands fail to pull off. The instrumentation and songwriting really lives up to the standard Gorguts set on previous releases. There are some really mind bending tracks in the second half. Overall it is a great album and it fits nicely in their catalogue.

Wow. I'm really not a fan of Gorguts' post EoS stuff, hell I just wrote a 20-odd percent review for Obscura last week, but wow, they've figured out how to make modern Gorguts sound good after 15 years. No... Not good... Excellent. This is savage, demented, unique and most importantly brilliantly tight and compact. It has none of the loose stupid sounding bounciness of the other stuff, actually has riffage, Luc doesn't sound like a pile of ass, and it's still unique in it's own way rather than just picking up on the cues of the bands which filled in their sound in the decade they've been missing. It's just brilliant, maybe still a tad long, but brilliant.

Honestly, this is up there with Monotheist and Macabre Eternal as far as outstanding comebacks go based on first listen.

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Naamath wrote:

No comments, no words need it, no BM, no compromise, only grains in her face.

i didn't know it was so difficult to just patiently wait. It makes it all the sweeter for when it shows up. I listened to the first track that was put up awhile ago and that's all I needed. No need to listen to the rest till my cd & vinyl come in.

Having just heard that stream, as well as the other tracks in that post it's all completely mind-blowing. I never expected them to be this good after this long a lay-off. Love the atmosphere within the title track, that epic riffing style I truly love, and the furious pounding and stacked pacing are quite enjoyable. May have to dip into the savings and get this one sooner rather than later.

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joppek wrote:

enigmatech wrote:

I don't consider Portal to be a death metal band, because I haven't heard their albums, and I'm not interested in their music

i don't consider gordon ramsay to be a chef, because i haven't been to his restaurants, and i'm not interested in his food

Haven't heard the new stuff yet (no sound card on my internet comp and I live in a rural area with limited internet), but since people are talking about other stuff... I liked Obscura (the first half anyway) way more than FWTH. Also, the timing on FWTH was pretty straight forward all the way through, which I was kinda disappointed about. I'm not big into vocals anyway, but I do like the vocals in the band. As for album art and album title, I don't really care about either. Artwork is cool but I'll only pay attention to it if a member of the band did it (and even then, it doesn't affect the music).

Loving this album so far. I am sure at least one champion of contrarianism will find some reason to write a 50% review for it, but personally I find it brilliant. It's so much wider in sound than FWTH without as much of the tedious or goofy sections on Obscura that some of us grew to love and inspired others to write 0% reviews for. It sounds familiar - totally Gorguts - but there's enough new things going on to make it more than just a throwback cash-in and a serious amount of songwriting polish that doesn't really detract from the creativity or feeling of the album. Like others have said, the second half of the album is really awesome. The Battle of Chamdo, Enemies of Compassion, Absconders, and Reduced to Silence being my favorite tracks.

I have never given Gorguts a fair listen until this week. I heve no idea why people are so torn over the different erras of Gorguts. First of all, the first two albums are straight forward death metal, I hear nothing progressive about them at all. Second, Obscura and FWTH are obviously very technical albums, and indicated a change in sound, but since when is experimentation frowned on so heavily in the metal community? Third, Colored Sands sounds like a continuation of the Obscura/FWTH sound, only doomier in some parts, and it kinda feels like a modern death metal take on Deathspell Omega and Ulcerate -even though Gorguts was obviously first and probably influenced those bands, it does sound up to date and includes all the conventions that those bands brought to the table. Luc is even wearing a DSO shirt in the picture on the band page.

That being said, I love all three styles, and I hope Luc continues experimenting and writing great death metal. That is all.

_________________You went on without meaning, an everlasting strife.It wasn't lust or alcohol, you were Poisoned By Life.

I have never given Gorguts a fair listen until this week. I heve no idea why people are so torn over the different erras of Gorguts. First of all, the first two albums are straight forward death metal, I hear nothing progressive about them at all. Second, Obscura and FWTH are obviously very technical albums, and indicated a change in sound, but since when is experimentation frowned on so heavily in the metal community? Third, Colored Sands sounds like a continuation of the Obscura/FWTH sound, only doomier in some parts, and it kinda feels like a modern death metal take on Deathspell Omega and Ulcerate -even though Gorguts was obviously first and probably influenced those bands, it does sound up to date and includes all the conventions that those bands brought to the table. Luc is even wearing a DSO shirt in the picture on the band page.

That being said, I love all three styles, and I hope Luc continues experimenting and writing great death metal. That is all.

I think it's safe to say that you won't find anyone working under the pretence that Gorguts are by any means progressive, let alone their early stuff. I can understand people saying that Considered Dead isn't exactly technical, but TEOS?! That album to me has always been technical, just not as much as the modern convention of "a million sweeps per minute" make people think. Their "avant-garde" tag is due to Obscura onwards, and that can be easily understood. I think that Colored Sands has also a bit of the flair and bluntness of TEOS, it's just so well placed amongst the rest of the "Obscurisms" and FTWH's flowing songwriting style that a not so attentive hearing could miss it. It's there though.

DSO and Ulcerate are influenced by Gorguts, to say anything other than that would be factually wrong. But as I said before in this same thread I didn't want to have this album sounding like their students, and indeed it doesn't. It sounds nothing like what both those bands do, and yet it manages to sound like Gorguts and be slightly different, pretty much like you say.

I'm torn about the idea of Luc continuing recording beyond this album. I mean... how the fuck will he be able to write something better than this?!

Season Of Mist replied, they want me to send it back, which will cost me $12 NZD ouch!I may be able to de-laminate this and stick another tray on :McGyver:If they insist I return it and pay myself that is, this is why I wanted a jewel case version! grrr these cheap Digipaks that everyone has now piss me off

My keyboard is fine, it just looks terrible with flash photography!

On my first listen, and yes I did make those spicy Chicken drumsticks to enjoy during the playing, I thought the album was really good.I wasn't paying 100% attention though, the first song was a bit too much like Negativa for me but then it got better, that classical piece in the middle [Chamdo?] was really good too, and I mean Night on Bald Mountain / The Firebird good

I got my yesterday too and before dread . I really like this album as I said in the now playing thread. All in all this is a phenomenal come back album and for those who haven't goten theirs yet well you're in for good things.

Question for all who have gotten their copies: are yours individually numbered or do they all say SOM 311 on the spine?

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niix wrote:

'the reason your grandmother has all those plastic sheets on her furniture is because she is probably a squirter'

Crick wrote:

Raw eggs tastier than semen? What horrid ooze-troll have you been blowing?